Happy Birthday, Edward CORRECTION - at 22:17 I say 15,000 miles... it should be 1,500. Also, at 1:01:50 I say that all MkIVs were eventually fitted with the 'tear-drop' canopy as standard. 'fletsepopje' has claimed that this isn't true - F (fighter) variants were fitted with the 'bubble' canopy, and FR (fighter reconnaissance) were fitted with the 'tear-drop' ones. I cannot find anything to completely certify this but a quick google image search shows that this may well be true! Quick heads up, there may be mid-roll ads during the video, I plan to get rid of these once Audiomachine approves my request to remove their automatic claim on the video, which just take a day or two. (Edit: they were nice and quick and mid-roll ads have been removed) If you have any questions at all about the documentary or about the Spitfire itself (or even the events surrounding it), ask away and I'll do my best to answer.
Wonderful documentary, when it started I thought ugg he's not going all the way back there. That lasted less than a minute though as ugg was quickly replaced by AAHH 😛. Your presentation was completely engaging.
Magnificent documentary, I've devoured all the doco's on the spitfire i can get my hands on and this has to be the most complete in terms of start to finish history.Its detailed and emotional, obviously a huge amount of work, thank you.
My father, who went to Heaven about 2.5 years ago, at age 93, was a bombardier in a B-17. He had lots of praise for the Spitfire: “Nothing could beat that plane and it’s pilots” He flew 25 missions starting on D-Day to 12/24/1944 at the Battle of the Bulge. He said there was very little Luftwaffe as the Spitfire has rid the sky of them. When he arrived in England they were told that the survival rate was 11%! The flak got most of them. Thank God for RJ Mitchell, the Spitfire and Britain. Without them I would not be here!! What a horrible war. My oldest son asks me why I study it so much? I just love the Brits and all they have done! Great study well done!! GOD bless you young man!
Thats great to hear "Alcohol", We thank your father and his compatriots for all they did in the fight against tyranny. Its so good to hear that there are still decent, intelligent Americans who think for themselves and don't fall for the nonsense of people who want our two countries at each others throats. Let the leaders kill one another, we "ordinary Joes in the street" need to be on the same side together. We're stronger like that, we always have been. All the best.
I worked with Brits on attack helicopters (AH-64s) in Iraq and Afghanistan and I agree that they are a great group of guys. They never walk away from a job and give each other a hard time for any complaining. Great sense of humor too. A real pleasure to work with the Brits. God bless 'em.
My mother, an English war bride spoke fondly and with great pride about the Spitfire, and would quote Churchill's remark about the many owing to the few. I grew up hearing about warbirds from my father, a B17 mechanic. Very well done Douglas James!
Very good, and everyone can watch the movie about Mitchell with David Niven, which is very good watching . They of course did not reveal the nature of his disease. That he finished the Spit before he was finished himself is nothing but a miracle and his great courage is a living blessing to England forever.
That really was fantastic, it still amazes me that small independent film makers can make such high quality documentaries without the backing of some television company and this really is one of the best I’ve seen. Thanks Ben for the heads up on this one, didn’t realise Doug even had his own channel. Subscribed.
I'm just seeing this for the first time in Dec, 2023. I'm in violent agreement!! Just a fantastic production and presentation. I never realized that so many variants of the Spitfire were produced' I had seen a Griffin powered one at an airshow back in 2010 so I knew about that. Man, did I learn a lot from this. Thank you!! 👍👍
G'day Doug, Firstly, let me say that this documentary shows a great talent for research and presentation as well as a strong on-screen presence. I'm ex-RAAF and later became involved in writing books, journalism and producing documentaries. In retirement I've spent around 15 years studying the history of WW2 and its air forces in particular. It is truly gratifying to see a member of the younger generation so passionate about WW2 history and, of course, about the amazing 'natural' engineering genius that R.J. Mitchell became. It is also great that you paid multiple tributes to George Smith who is usually 'written out' of the Spitfire story. Without Mr Smith there was a good chance that the Spitfire might not have had the continual improvements that kept it such a potent weapon for all of WW2. Also, you gave the Hawker Hurricane the credit that it so, rightly, deserved. Hurricanes did the 'heavy lifting' in the air war with the Nazis until, and even after the first Spitfires became operational. As you would know by now, the real heroes of the Battle of Britain were the young pilots from Britain and many Commonwealth countries who paid the ultimate price for keeping the Nazis from Britain's shores. The surviving pilots were just as heroic, yet I've never heard even one of them say so. The famous Churchill '...so few' comment; that later became part of a parliamentary statement and a radio broadcast, was probably the most heartfelt statement made by Churchill throughout the entire war, certainly up there with his admission that the only part of the Nazi campaign that truly frightened him was their U-boat offensive. I have all but two of the books you cite as your reference works for this video. So, you will know how much of the Spitfire story and the overall tale of the air war came down to simple coincidences, luck; both good and bad plus the phenomenal wartime spirit and work ethic of the people of the UK and her allies, in and out of uniform. Please keep making documentaries like this one. You have a real talent for them and loads of potential. As a first time effort, this video of yours is utterly outstanding! Cheers, and all the very best. BH
Thank you Bill, that's all very kind of you! It was a pleasure to make this documentary, and to learn (in a deeper way) about all the things you've talked about. History usually throws up incredible stories and the Spitfire's is no exception. It sounds like you have also led a fascinating life, and I'm chuffed that you enjoyed the documentary - thank you again!
The word Spitfire has made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, ever since l was a child some 70 year ago! , it is an icon of British technology and a testament to the bravery and skill of pilots who flew them! Also never forget the words of another British hero Sir Winston Churchill! Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few!!! Thanks for such a brilliant video
One of the best if not THE best accounts of a WW2 aircraft I've ever had the pleasure to view. Douglas James is an excellent writer, researcher and presenter. I'm looking forward to seeing more of his work.
Absolutely amazing Doug. I used to watch historical documentaries on the History Channel. Now it has idiots who build motorcycles engaged in manufactured drama and screaming at each other. Thanks to talented filmmakers such as yourself we can still enjoy wonderful programs. Thanks.
Just discovered this brilliant and very comprehensive account on the Spitfire, it's history, deployment, development and legacy. I have watched countless Spitfire documentaries and have a dozen books on this, the most famous of all British military aircraft. Your Film is the best by far, I thankyou and thought I may add that the first time I saw one was as a boy growing up in the then British crown colony of Hong Kong. My father who himself had been in the RAF and then joined The Hong Kong Police, would regularly take myself and my brother to Kai-Tak airport as he always loved anything aviation related, something I have inherited from him. It was on those visits that dad showed me the Spitfires that were then Flown by the RAF's Hong Kong auxiliary squadron. Even as a young boy (this was in the 50's) I was captivated by it's sleek menacing lines. I have been a fan ever since. One incident not mentioned was the case when the RAF tested its English Electric Lightening Supersonic Jet fighters against a spitfire, I'm not which far east country this was but apparently intelligence stated that the potential combatants in some conflict may indeed use P51 mustangs against the RAF lightnings and the RAF used a spitfire to assess how a piston engine fighter would fare against the Jet. It came as no surprise that it would not have fared well but this, I believe was the very last time the RAF officially used the spitfire in an official operational role. I can find more information on the incident if required, It's in one of the many publications I have regarding this almost mythical airplane. Once again I pay tribute to your film. Many thanks. |PS New subscriber!
Thank you so much for your kind praise - and your story! I do think you're right actually - while I can't remember for sure whether or not it was the last time the RAF officially used the Spitfire operationally (although I think it was), I had heard that story of it being used against the Lightnings for tests - fascinating stuff!
Quite honestly, when the video first began, I wasn't expecting much from a presenter of such obvious youth. I ended up humbled that my initial skepticism could have been so far off the mark. The level of maturity and presentation skills of Mr. James were as good as (or better than) I have ever seen. Excellent!
I've still got my Mk IX Spitfire that I made as my first Airfix model. It used to hang from the ceiling with a Bf 110, and it's nice to still see it around.
My mam built the real things ,aged 17 and her sister .riveter n wirer .heard some brilliant story’s from my mum and then when I went down Cornwall I found out that she had been up in one with a American she was seeing .I never knew that Americans had flown them and polish austrailian .etc etc , the work hours they put in was mad but they had some great times .dancing was what they all looked frwrd to on there days off .crazy times but wonderful times .I had a hard time getting my head round that ,lol .
Thank you so much for making and posting this documentary, it is in my opinion the very best Spitfire documentary ever, enhanced by the superb and very realistic computer graphics and wonderful presentation.
This documentary is so well built, that can even compete with the documentaries made by TV companies! Use of CGI, art, photos and actual footage looks so professional. Thank you, Dough 👍
My all - Deutsch, American father saw heavy combat against his German cousins , as a Spit pilot. He barely survived training , Hurricanes , in Canada, 5 days, no food, Newfoundland. His Mk. 9 was shot up over Germany , jammed left aileron and toppled gyro , April 25 , 1944 . Off - course across Channel. Came in through trees. Wings ripped off . Spinal fractures, 5 months in torso cast. THEN , the real 'stuff ' started... eventually in Mk. 16s . Ground fire from Ruhr Pocket was terrifying. Had nightmares for decades .But Spits were loved by anyone who flew them .
I'm here because I've been reading an amazing diary of a WW2 French pilot of a Spitfire - Pierre Clostermann "The big show". I really recommend it. This superb documentary is a technically comprehensive and historically accurate gem! Keep up the good work guys
I've heard parts of the spitfire's story here and there being interested in aviation, but never in this much detail. Thanks for enlightening me on the complete story of this icon! 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Glad I ran across this. This is the best documentary on the Spitfire I've ever seen. Mr. James handles the balance in data and story brilliantly (If I can say that as an American) and doesn't fall into the pitfall of rabbit holes of uninteresting data or lingering too long on some data points. I also enjoyed the balance of great supporting visuals vs all black and white seemingly from the same source as some do. Well done Chap. Subscribed.
What a wonderful story of a great man and his legionary plane! Thank you so much for this excellent documentary! More of these types of programs please, love you to do a documentary of Sir Barnes Wallis.
I paused at 2mins 37secs to say that this documentary of yours is very impressive. I've never heard of the Schneider Trophy, and that's already something I've bookmarked to spend a few hours doing a deep dive on later. I always tell people that if they really want the nitty gritty, blood and guts details about pretty much anything, they have to read books and academic papers. In general, no other medium is capable of providing the high grade, uncut knowledge that the true history junkie craves. But if the first few minutes are any indication of the quality of the rest of this production, I'm probably going to have to revise that statement. Cheers and such.
If you haven't already, watch this - the original movie of the early Schneider Trophy / Spitfire story : ua-cam.com/video/VAwDhNJtzYo/v-deo.html Directed and starring Leslie Howard as R J Mitchell
@@Spartanm333 I haven't, so thank you. This looks incredible, and I don't know how to repay you, other than with a clutch recommendation of my own. Have you ever seen GI Samurai, starring Sonny Chiba? If not, then I have repaid your favor tenfold.
Well done, hope the BBC documentary folks take notice... you deserve to be going places with this level of production quality on what I assume is a non existent budget. Well done indeed
I clicked on this video after seeing it in the end card of Bens channel thinking “oh I’ll just watch the first few mins then go do other things” Now an hour later and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the entire video WAY more than I thought I would! Congratulations you’ve made a masterpiece!
Absolutely superb with all of the history tied into the narrator showing the various models that were made. R. J. Mitchell was a marvelous man that had rock-solid faith in his country and consequently designed and built the renowned Spitfire which ended up being instrumental in Britain defeating Germany in the Battle of Britain! What a story; what a man, he was dedicated to his mission in life. He’s a great role model for all of us. Thanks for making and posting this marvelous documentary!!
What a great documentary!! Finally someone touched all the history of The Supermarine Spitfire, and not just the Battle of Britain. This is proof of downfall of conventional TV documentaries. Amazing!
Excellent video Doug. I didn't know Seafires shot down the last planes of the war. I visited that museum in Southampton a few years ago. It's wonderful.
Unfortuantely due to what we were doing I didn't get the chance to have a proper look around it, but in what I was able to see it really seems like a place packed full of interesting stuff, and the staff are all wonderful
I agree about Southampton. Although the museum is quite small there is a huge amount to see. It is worth the visit just to see the S6, an amazing aeroplane and engine.
Documentary is up there with some of the best I've ever seen, very informative. I hope you consider doing more documentary type videos on other Aircraft in a similar way to this one. Some good candidates could be Hawker's Hurricane , Typhoon /Tempest they seem to miss out on quality documentary making like this.
Thank you! I don't really do these big documentaries often, and I like to keep them varied. I don't think I want to turn this into a series like 'Battles That Changed History', and if I did another I'd like to cover a non-British aircraft or a non-WWII aircraft. That being said, the idea of making 'HURRICANE' has crossed my mind several times and perhaps I'll take another look at it in a couple of years.
Excellent documentary guys! This aircraft always stirs emotion when I see it and I am reminded of what it achieved in the hands of the brave RAF pilots that flew it. Thank you.
The most complete history I have ever seen, followed for 30 years and impressive ! Your production should be vaunted History channel or other series , thank you , I never saw anything better ! I was born in Stoke on Trent, Mitchel's home town, glory for ever but a lie as Smith developed, it needed more people and force to follow through to the end! thank you for your research! Why can you not get this taken to a series on History or AHC ? Watched this video all the way though , 1952,,,15th February ... last words. Amazing !
Very, very good! I just wanted to to take a short glimpse on it, with the intention to watch it piecemeal over the next days (because of its length). But i got caught, and watched in one go!
Yep Blown away, Doug. This is outstanding in every respect! I fully believe you've got the potential to make it to television, if you wanted (BBC take note). Bravo, young man!
Fully agree! I really hope to see &hear you in a more public role, we need a successor to the great Attenborough and you have the voice for it. Educate the masses. I've offered my comment on correct grammar & hope you take it in the spirit that it's given.
My Father died over 30 years ago, he was groundcrew on these and many more British aircraft in the War. How I wished I could have say with him through this wonderful documentary so brilliantly researched, produced and presented. Wunderbar - indeed! RIP Dad.
Doug, Ben, this is a magnificent documentary, worthy of the best broadcast media. Well researched, superbly structured and beautifully presented in every detail. Very well done indeed!
Well ... I watched till the end and was pretty impressed with yet another freaking Spitfire doco ...... congrats ... I learnt new things about both the aurcraft and Malta campaign .. probably one of the most key strategic cockups of all of WWII by the axis .... Churchill knew it too......
Very happy I found this . You are a very talented man. This is the era of aircraft I’d love to be restoring ,I’ve been a aviation structural mech for 33 years .I am looking forward to more from u.Best of luck
Sir I and everyone who adores knowledge thank you for this great service! I learned of the spitfire when I was young, i never could find anything that would satisfy only over edited videos of its death toll. This is just what the spitfire needed to be complete in history, someone who appreciates the hard work behind the speed and guns. Thank you sincerely matson P.s. I'm only at 30 min and you've taught me more than any other place I've checked.
Thank you! It was certainly important to me to include as many people who helped the Spitfire become what it did as possible, and while there's many I wasn't able to mention, I hope I did them justice
A really superb and accurate account of one of the most significant aeroplanes of the 20 th Century, there should be one addition though, Spitfires served with the temperature and humidity (THUM), flight until 1958, so were technically still in service until then. Very many thanks for posting this wonderful video! Chris B.
Fantastically well researched documentary and very well made by just 2x guys (going by the credits), just shows talent always shines through without needing large budgets.
Incredibly well done and well worth the wait. Was definitely not expecting an hour and ten minutes. Congratulations and I sincerely hope the UA-cam recommends this to more people, because this deserves to be a million + view video.
This is an excellent documentary Doug. Very well put together with lots of true facts and info. BRAVO!!! Hope you do more documentaries as this was excellent and very updated. Thanks for posting.
Wow, he was almost a triple ace in one day that history hasn't heard of. Incredible how there hasn't been a single documentary on him...what was his name and where did he come from??
Really stimulating documentary, with great detail and good use of a rich soundscape, which really added to the viewing experience. Cannot wait for your next long form documentary, well done!
Beautifully put together documentary. To think that this nearly broke the sound barrier!! If there was ever a more beautiful plane then I've never seen it...
What a superb documentary, narrated with feeling and pride by the presenter. I'm sure this documentary will be regarded as a fine legacy for all those who built, maintained, fought and flew Spitfires!! 👍
As a Yankee I'm partial to the P-51. I also overappreciate the underappreciated Japanese fighters like the Ki-84 Hayate and the A7M Reppu. But I have to admit, the Supermarine Spitfire is the King of WW2 fighters. Even today to fly such a craft with the giant Griffon thundering in front of you...it is alive. The power...you can hear its heartbeat. You can feel its breath. Designed to dominate in combat. The old beast, so visceral. It's fun to imagine the history and the perilous adventures of England, when the Mk Vs had to go up against the brand new Fw-190s. Drama! Modern propeller driven airplanes are on antidepressants by comparison.
An interesting point is that the group from England that visited North American avaiation looking for aircraft, included one of the Supermarine company's aerodynamics designer who was responsible for all of the fairing design for the Spitfire especially where the wing met the fuselage. When he and the others saw the design they were immediately concerned about the cross sectional area of the aircraft, in true American fashion it was big, so they narrowed the fuselage redicing the area and redsigned the wing filleting at the same time. If you look closely you can see the family resemblance and the careful work of the aerodynamic design and also appreciate that this fighter is the only American design that did not have a cockpit the size of a dance hall! The book written by this aerodynamics guy was most interesting.
@@vumba1331 Sounds like the Spitfire was quite an influence on the Mustang's design. And of course just the engines themselves were a major contribution.
I'm not super into aircrafts but after I watch this entire thing it seems really interesting now. So to me this shows that the entire documentary was successful 👏👏👏
Happy Birthday, Edward
CORRECTION - at 22:17 I say 15,000 miles... it should be 1,500.
Also, at 1:01:50 I say that all MkIVs were eventually fitted with the 'tear-drop' canopy as standard. 'fletsepopje' has claimed that this isn't true - F (fighter) variants were fitted with the 'bubble' canopy, and FR (fighter reconnaissance) were fitted with the 'tear-drop' ones. I cannot find anything to completely certify this but a quick google image search shows that this may well be true!
Quick heads up, there may be mid-roll ads during the video, I plan to get rid of these once Audiomachine approves my request to remove their automatic claim on the video, which just take a day or two. (Edit: they were nice and quick and mid-roll ads have been removed)
If you have any questions at all about the documentary or about the Spitfire itself (or even the events surrounding it), ask away and I'll do my best to answer.
Wonderful documentary, when it started I thought ugg he's not going all the way back there. That lasted less than a minute though as ugg was quickly replaced by AAHH 😛.
Your presentation was completely engaging.
Thank you Ben and Doug. You two are a single prodigy!
Great vid, do a vid on operation Torch, as in how those Spitfires, and the fuel to run them, got to Malta.
Magnificent documentary, I've devoured all the doco's on the spitfire i can get my hands on and this has to be the most complete in terms of start to finish history.Its detailed and emotional, obviously a huge amount of work, thank you.
@@-TheRealChris High praise indeed, thank you!
My father, who went to Heaven about 2.5 years ago, at age 93, was a bombardier in a B-17. He had lots of praise for the Spitfire: “Nothing could beat that plane and it’s pilots” He flew 25 missions starting on D-Day to 12/24/1944 at the Battle of the Bulge. He said there was very little Luftwaffe as the Spitfire has rid the sky of them. When he arrived in England they were told that the survival rate was 11%! The flak got most of them. Thank God for RJ Mitchell, the Spitfire and Britain. Without them I would not be here!! What a horrible war. My oldest son asks me why I study it so much? I just love the Brits and all they have done! Great study well done!! GOD bless you young man!
Thats great to hear "Alcohol", We thank your father and his compatriots for all they did in the fight against tyranny. Its so good to hear that there are still decent, intelligent Americans who think for themselves and don't fall for the nonsense of people who want our two countries at each others throats. Let the leaders kill one another, we "ordinary Joes in the street" need to be on the same side together. We're stronger like that, we always have been. All the best.
I worked with Brits on attack helicopters (AH-64s) in Iraq and Afghanistan and I agree that they are a great group of guys. They never walk away from a job and give each other a hard time for any complaining. Great sense of humor too. A real pleasure to work with the Brits. God bless 'em.
My mother, an English war bride spoke fondly and with great pride about the Spitfire, and would quote Churchill's remark about the many owing to the few. I grew up hearing about warbirds from my father, a B17 mechanic. Very well done Douglas James!
This documentary truly is wunderbar
Dinosaur man is also a history man. This is good
He looks like a psychopath
Very good, and everyone can watch the movie about Mitchell with David Niven, which is very good watching . They of course did not reveal the nature of his disease. That he finished the Spit before he was finished himself is nothing but a miracle and his great courage is a living blessing to England forever.
😊. 😊😊😊😊😊😊😅 M mx😅 😊
😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
That really was fantastic, it still amazes me that small independent film makers can make such high quality documentaries without the backing of some television company and this really is one of the best I’ve seen. Thanks Ben for the heads up on this one, didn’t realise Doug even had his own channel. Subscribed.
Thank you!! I do try to make it feel as high-quality as possible so I'm glad it's paid off!
I'm just seeing this for the first time in Dec, 2023. I'm in violent agreement!! Just a fantastic production and presentation. I never realized that so many variants of the Spitfire were produced' I had seen a Griffin powered one at an airshow back in 2010 so I knew about that. Man, did I learn a lot from this. Thank you!! 👍👍
G'day Doug, Firstly, let me say that this documentary shows a great talent for research and presentation as well as a strong on-screen presence. I'm ex-RAAF and later became involved in writing books, journalism and producing documentaries. In retirement I've spent around 15 years studying the history of WW2 and its air forces in particular.
It is truly gratifying to see a member of the younger generation so passionate about WW2 history and, of course, about the amazing 'natural' engineering genius that R.J. Mitchell became.
It is also great that you paid multiple tributes to George Smith who is usually 'written out' of the Spitfire story. Without Mr Smith there was a good chance that the Spitfire might not have had the continual improvements that kept it such a potent weapon for all of WW2.
Also, you gave the Hawker Hurricane the credit that it so, rightly, deserved. Hurricanes did the 'heavy lifting' in the air war with the Nazis until, and even after the first Spitfires became operational.
As you would know by now, the real heroes of the Battle of Britain were the young pilots from Britain and many Commonwealth countries who paid the ultimate price for keeping the Nazis from Britain's shores. The surviving pilots were just as heroic, yet I've never heard even one of them say so.
The famous Churchill '...so few' comment; that later became part of a parliamentary statement and a radio broadcast, was probably the most heartfelt statement made by Churchill throughout the entire war, certainly up there with his admission that the only part of the Nazi campaign that truly frightened him was their U-boat offensive.
I have all but two of the books you cite as your reference works for this video. So, you will know how much of the Spitfire story and the overall tale of the air war came down to simple coincidences, luck; both good and bad plus the phenomenal wartime spirit and work ethic of the people of the UK and her allies, in and out of uniform.
Please keep making documentaries like this one. You have a real talent for them and loads of potential. As a first time effort, this video of yours is utterly outstanding!
Cheers, and all the very best. BH
Thank you Bill, that's all very kind of you!
It was a pleasure to make this documentary, and to learn (in a deeper way) about all the things you've talked about. History usually throws up incredible stories and the Spitfire's is no exception.
It sounds like you have also led a fascinating life, and I'm chuffed that you enjoyed the documentary - thank you again!
Well said!
The word Spitfire has made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, ever since l was a child some 70 year ago! , it is an icon of British technology and a testament to the bravery and skill of pilots who flew them! Also never forget the words of another British hero Sir Winston Churchill! Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few!!! Thanks for such a brilliant video
The level of detail in this video is astounding! Well done Doug!
Thank you!
One of the best if not THE best accounts of a WW2 aircraft I've ever had the pleasure to view. Douglas James is an excellent writer, researcher and presenter. I'm looking forward to seeing more of his work.
Professional grade documentary. Ready for the BBC!
Absolutely amazing Doug. I used to watch historical documentaries on the History Channel. Now it has idiots who build motorcycles engaged in manufactured drama and screaming at each other. Thanks to talented filmmakers such as yourself we can still enjoy wonderful programs. Thanks.
Best documentary on the Spitfire and the Battle of Britain, I have ever seen. Bravo
High praise! I'm glad you enjoyed it :D
Just discovered this brilliant and very comprehensive account on the Spitfire, it's history, deployment, development and legacy. I have watched countless Spitfire documentaries and have a dozen books on this, the most famous of all British military aircraft.
Your Film is the best by far, I thankyou and thought I may add that the first time I saw one was as a boy growing up in the then British crown colony of Hong Kong. My father who himself had been in the RAF and then joined The Hong Kong Police, would regularly take myself and my brother to Kai-Tak airport as he always loved anything aviation related, something I have inherited from him. It was on those visits that dad showed me the Spitfires that were then Flown by the RAF's Hong Kong auxiliary squadron. Even as a young boy (this was in the 50's) I was captivated by it's sleek menacing lines. I have been a fan ever since.
One incident not mentioned was the case when the RAF tested its English Electric Lightening Supersonic Jet fighters against a spitfire, I'm not which far east country this was but apparently intelligence stated that the potential combatants in some conflict may indeed use P51 mustangs against the RAF lightnings and the RAF used a spitfire to assess how a piston engine fighter would fare against the Jet. It came as no surprise that it would not have fared well but this, I believe was the very last time the RAF officially used the spitfire in an official operational role. I can find more information on the incident if required, It's in one of the many publications I have regarding this almost mythical airplane.
Once again I pay tribute to your film. Many thanks.
|PS New subscriber!
Thank you so much for your kind praise - and your story!
I do think you're right actually - while I can't remember for sure whether or not it was the last time the RAF officially used the Spitfire operationally (although I think it was), I had heard that story of it being used against the Lightnings for tests - fascinating stuff!
Quite honestly, when the video first began, I wasn't expecting much from a presenter of such obvious youth. I ended up humbled that my initial skepticism could have been so far off the mark. The level of maturity and presentation skills of Mr. James were as good as (or better than) I have ever seen. Excellent!
Great Documentary. I wonder how many Spitfire models ive built as a kid in the early 80ies. One of my favourite aircrafts indeed.
I've still got my Mk IX Spitfire that I made as my first Airfix model. It used to hang from the ceiling with a Bf 110, and it's nice to still see it around.
My mam built the real things ,aged 17 and her sister .riveter n wirer .heard some brilliant story’s from my mum and then when I went down Cornwall I found out that she had been up in one with a American she was seeing .I never knew that Americans had flown them and polish austrailian .etc etc , the work hours they put in was mad but they had some great times .dancing was what they all looked frwrd to on there days off .crazy times but wonderful times .I had a hard time getting my head round that ,lol .
You really should make a career of this. You are very clear to listen to. Your information is succinct and very professional.
Thank you so much for making and posting this documentary, it is in my opinion the very best Spitfire documentary ever, enhanced by the superb and very realistic computer graphics and wonderful presentation.
That's incredibly kind of you; thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
A masterpiece of Spitfire history and chronology, told by an extraordinarily
good host. Splendid !
This documentary is so well built, that can even compete with the documentaries made by TV companies! Use of CGI, art, photos and actual footage looks so professional. Thank you, Dough 👍
My all - Deutsch, American father saw heavy combat against his German cousins , as a Spit pilot. He barely survived training , Hurricanes , in Canada, 5 days, no food, Newfoundland. His Mk. 9 was shot up over Germany , jammed left aileron and toppled gyro , April 25 , 1944 . Off - course across Channel. Came in through trees. Wings ripped off . Spinal fractures, 5 months in torso cast. THEN , the real 'stuff ' started... eventually in Mk. 16s . Ground fire from Ruhr Pocket was terrifying. Had nightmares for decades .But Spits were loved by anyone who flew them .
This is amazing and I'm recommending to all the history buffs I know.
Thanks! I hope they enjoy it too!
I'm here because I've been reading an amazing diary of a WW2 French pilot of a Spitfire - Pierre Clostermann "The big show".
I really recommend it. This superb documentary is a technically comprehensive and historically accurate gem! Keep up the good work guys
I've heard parts of the spitfire's story here and there being interested in aviation, but never in this much detail. Thanks for enlightening me on the complete story of this icon! 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Glad I ran across this. This is the best documentary on the Spitfire I've ever seen. Mr. James handles the balance in data and story brilliantly (If I can say that as an American) and doesn't fall into the pitfall of rabbit holes of uninteresting data or lingering too long on some data points. I also enjoyed the balance of great supporting visuals vs all black and white seemingly from the same source as some do. Well done Chap. Subscribed.
That's very, very kind of you to say! Thank you for watching and I'm very glad you enjoyed!
im sending this to anyone i can think that would be interested. this will grow.
Thank you, I appreciate the shares!
What a wonderful story of a great man and his legionary plane!
Thank you so much for this excellent documentary!
More of these types of programs please, love you to do a documentary of Sir Barnes Wallis.
This video deserves to go viral
I have been waiting for this for many moons. May gods praise be this day!
It gives me much hope seeing an intelligent young man with such passion and interest in the past. Great content thank you.
Wow what an amazing history of the Spitfire. I never knew so many variants had been produced. It certainly was the right aircraft for the times.
in depth and done with passion. Thanks for that
I paused at 2mins 37secs to say that this documentary of yours is very impressive. I've never heard of the Schneider Trophy, and that's already something I've bookmarked to spend a few hours doing a deep dive on later. I always tell people that if they really want the nitty gritty, blood and guts details about pretty much anything, they have to read books and academic papers. In general, no other medium is capable of providing the high grade, uncut knowledge that the true history junkie craves. But if the first few minutes are any indication of the quality of the rest of this production, I'm probably going to have to revise that statement. Cheers and such.
If you haven't already, watch this - the original movie of the early Schneider Trophy / Spitfire story : ua-cam.com/video/VAwDhNJtzYo/v-deo.html Directed and starring Leslie Howard as R J Mitchell
@@Spartanm333 I haven't, so thank you. This looks incredible, and I don't know how to repay you, other than with a clutch recommendation of my own. Have you ever seen GI Samurai, starring Sonny Chiba? If not, then I have repaid your favor tenfold.
Just stumbled across this randomly … absolutely superb!
1 hour, 11 minutes and 58 seconds very well spent. Brilliant.
One of the best documentaries I've seen, and I've seen a lot...
Albeit not a Spitfire fan, this got me hooked to the screen.
Also...
War Thunder!
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
The best documentary on the spitfire and Mitchell that I have seen.Many thanks.
Thank you! I'm very glad you enjoyed!
But did the Spitfires have feathers? Asking for a friend. Great job as well
LOL! 😆
This makes me so proud of our British engineers
Well done, hope the BBC documentary folks take notice... you deserve to be going places with this level of production quality on what I assume is a non existent budget. Well done indeed
my favourite spitfire documentary
This is really a fantastic piece of work. I'm amazed that you put together a feature length-and-quality documentary with two people and passion.
I clicked on this video after seeing it in the end card of Bens channel thinking “oh I’ll just watch the first few mins then go do other things”
Now an hour later and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the entire video WAY more than I thought I would! Congratulations you’ve made a masterpiece!
Thank you! I'm glad it was so engaging!
Doug A James no problem! You’ve earned a new subscriber for sure!
Absolutely superb with all of the history tied into the narrator showing the various models that were made. R. J. Mitchell was a marvelous man that had rock-solid faith in his country and consequently designed and built the renowned Spitfire which ended up being instrumental in Britain defeating Germany in the Battle of Britain! What a story; what a man, he was dedicated to his mission in life. He’s a great role model for all of us. Thanks for making and posting this marvelous documentary!!
What a great documentary!! Finally someone touched all the history of The Supermarine Spitfire, and not just the Battle of Britain.
This is proof of downfall of conventional TV documentaries.
Amazing!
Excellent documentary - huge amount of effort put it to this and it is clearly visible
This is an excellent documentary and the best spitfire one I have watched.
Excellent video Doug. I didn't know Seafires shot down the last planes of the war. I visited that museum in Southampton a few years ago. It's wonderful.
Unfortuantely due to what we were doing I didn't get the chance to have a proper look around it, but in what I was able to see it really seems like a place packed full of interesting stuff, and the staff are all wonderful
I agree about Southampton. Although the museum is quite small there is a huge amount to see. It is worth the visit just to see the S6, an amazing aeroplane and engine.
Superb and very detailed documentary. Bravo.
You have risen the bar for aviation documentaries into the stratosphere.
Thanks for this great documentary. I can't imagine the amount of effort put into this... wonderful indeed.
Kind praise such as this always makes it worth it, I'm glad you enjoyed!
Last 15 seconds. Full volume. Wunderbar!
Sent over from Ben G Thomas. This is a quality documentary man you should be proud.
Documentary is up there with some of the best I've ever seen, very informative. I hope you consider doing more documentary type videos on other Aircraft in a similar way to this one. Some good candidates could be Hawker's Hurricane , Typhoon /Tempest they seem to miss out on quality documentary making like this.
Thank you! I don't really do these big documentaries often, and I like to keep them varied. I don't think I want to turn this into a series like 'Battles That Changed History', and if I did another I'd like to cover a non-British aircraft or a non-WWII aircraft. That being said, the idea of making 'HURRICANE' has crossed my mind several times and perhaps I'll take another look at it in a couple of years.
Fantastic documentary.
Excellent documentary guys! This aircraft always stirs emotion when I see it and I am reminded of what it achieved in the hands of the brave RAF pilots that flew it. Thank you.
That was a amazingly well done program! Doug much respect and honor to you! I truly look forward to whatever you have planned next.
BRAVO! Excellent film. You did justice to Mr. Mitchell and his vision.
The most complete history I have ever seen, followed for 30 years and impressive ! Your production should be vaunted History channel or other series , thank you , I never saw anything better ! I was born in Stoke on Trent, Mitchel's home town, glory for ever but a lie as Smith developed, it needed more people and force to follow through to the end! thank you for your research! Why can you not get this taken to a series on History or AHC ? Watched this video all the way though , 1952,,,15th February ... last words. Amazing !
Thank you!! That's some high praise!
@@dougajames sell this to a production company , excellent !
This was very well done, thank you for the insights to this amazing and beautiful machine. It looks so fast and nimble just sitting on the ground.
So Excited to watch, Glad it is a long video. Will get it up on the big screen this week, and enjoy it. GREAT CHANNEL!!
Very, very good!
I just wanted to to take a short glimpse on it, with the intention to watch it piecemeal over the next days (because of its length).
But i got caught, and watched in one go!
Yep Blown away, Doug.
This is outstanding in every respect! I fully believe you've got the potential to make it to television, if you wanted (BBC take note). Bravo, young man!
Thank you! We'll see what the future holds but I just hope I have fun whatever I do
Fully agree! I really hope to see &hear you in a more public role, we need a successor to the great Attenborough and you have the voice for it. Educate the masses. I've offered my comment on correct grammar & hope you take it in the spirit that it's given.
My Father died over 30 years ago, he was groundcrew on these and many more British aircraft in the War. How I wished I could have say with him through this wonderful documentary so brilliantly researched, produced and presented. Wunderbar - indeed! RIP Dad.
Correction - meant sat not say!
Almost finished with this, love it, amazing info, and lots of effort put into it. You Rock!!!
absolutly amazing! best spitfire documentary i have ever seen! flawless
Thank you!
Have come back to watch this again several times now.
Well done. An excellent video, sir.
I'm very glad to hear it was so entertaining - thank you so much for your kind words!
Wonderful indeed!. Outstanding documentary!
What a great documentary and beautifully researched and narrated.
After so many months of having this in my Watch Later playlist, I finally got to it, and it is amazing.
Haha it's been a while - but I'm glad you enjoyed it, thank you :D
Excellent presentation. Very high production values compared with most UA-cam work.
Doug, Ben, this is a magnificent documentary, worthy of the best broadcast media. Well researched, superbly structured and beautifully presented in every detail. Very well done indeed!
Thank you!!
Well ... I watched till the end and was pretty impressed with yet another freaking Spitfire doco ...... congrats ... I learnt new things about both the aurcraft and Malta campaign .. probably one of the most key strategic cockups of all of WWII by the axis .... Churchill knew it too......
Very happy I found this . You are a very talented man. This is the era of aircraft I’d love to be restoring ,I’ve been a aviation structural mech for 33 years .I am looking forward to more from u.Best of luck
Sir I and everyone who adores knowledge thank you for this great service! I learned of the spitfire when I was young, i never could find anything that would satisfy only over edited videos of its death toll. This is just what the spitfire needed to be complete in history, someone who appreciates the hard work behind the speed and guns.
Thank you
sincerely matson
P.s. I'm only at 30 min and you've taught me more than any other place I've checked.
Thank you! It was certainly important to me to include as many people who helped the Spitfire become what it did as possible, and while there's many I wasn't able to mention, I hope I did them justice
A really superb and accurate account of one of the most significant aeroplanes of the 20 th Century, there should be one addition though, Spitfires served with the temperature and humidity (THUM), flight until 1958, so were technically still in service until then. Very many thanks for posting this wonderful video! Chris B.
Fantastically well researched documentary and very well made by just 2x guys (going by the credits), just shows talent always shines through without needing large budgets.
That's very kind of you - thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed!
Incredibly well done and well worth the wait. Was definitely not expecting an hour and ten minutes. Congratulations and I sincerely hope the UA-cam recommends this to more people, because this deserves to be a million + view video.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, thank thank you for your continued support across our channels :D
This is an excellent documentary Doug. Very well put together with lots of true facts and info. BRAVO!!! Hope you do more documentaries as this was excellent and very updated. Thanks for posting.
Thank you! Hopefully my next bit project will be ready by (latest) Christmas, but we'll see
@@dougajames No rush Doug. I know it takes time to do quality work. I will wait. :)
Fabulous, Wonderful and Enthralling 👌👍
The best documentary on spitfire and how Chamberlain and Dowding created the world's first early warning system
Richer in historical detail than my memory. Thanks.
During the war my Grandfather singlehandedly destroyed 12 Me109's all in the one day. He was the worst mechanic in all of Germany!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
That is soooooo funny 😂😂😂😂
We owe so much to so few
Wow, he was almost a triple ace in one day that history hasn't heard of. Incredible how there hasn't been a single documentary on him...what was his name and where did he come from??
@@steffk5878 it's a joke Steff 🤦
Really stimulating documentary, with great detail and good use of a rich soundscape, which really added to the viewing experience. Cannot wait for your next long form documentary, well done!
Thank you!
Beautifully put together documentary. To think that this nearly broke the sound barrier!! If there was ever a more beautiful plane then I've never seen it...
This video is so fascinating to watch. I love learning about history. Great video Doug.
One of the best documentaries about the Spitfire I've ever seen - brilliant.
Thank you! Very glad you enjoyed it!
@@dougajames Already looking forward to the next one.
What a superb documentary, narrated with feeling and pride by the presenter. I'm sure this documentary will be regarded as a fine legacy for all those who built, maintained, fought and flew Spitfires!! 👍
Well that's definitely very high praise - I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
loved bens stuff for a while. never realized you had your own (amazing i know haha) beautiful stuff. every second was riveting.
Absolutely F A N T A S T I C documentary. Thanks very much for this wonderful piece of work about a wonderful airplane.
So, I finally took the time to watch this wonderful video. Bravo, Doug! I learned more about my favorite WW2 fighter. Thanx!
I do believe that was the best documentary I have ever seen on the spitfire. Very impressive effort. Thank you.
I'm sure there are plenty better, but thank you!! I'm very glad you enjoyed!
Like its subject this documentary has been crafted with style, flair & attention to detail . My compliments.
no that was very interesting the best vid i have ever seen of our spitfire. well put to gether thank you.
As a Yankee I'm partial to the P-51. I also overappreciate the underappreciated Japanese fighters like the Ki-84 Hayate and the A7M Reppu. But I have to admit, the Supermarine Spitfire is the King of WW2 fighters. Even today to fly such a craft with the giant Griffon thundering in front of you...it is alive. The power...you can hear its heartbeat. You can feel its breath. Designed to dominate in combat. The old beast, so visceral. It's fun to imagine the history and the perilous adventures of England, when the Mk Vs had to go up against the brand new Fw-190s. Drama! Modern propeller driven airplanes are on antidepressants by comparison.
An interesting point is that the group from England that visited North American avaiation looking for aircraft, included one of the Supermarine company's aerodynamics designer who was responsible for all of the fairing design for the Spitfire especially where the wing met the fuselage. When he and the others saw the design they were immediately concerned about the cross sectional area of the aircraft, in true American fashion it was big, so they narrowed the fuselage redicing the area and redsigned the wing filleting at the same time.
If you look closely you can see the family resemblance and the careful work of the aerodynamic design and also appreciate that this fighter is the only American design that did not have a cockpit the size of a dance hall! The book written by this aerodynamics guy was most interesting.
@@vumba1331 Sounds like the Spitfire was quite an influence on the Mustang's design. And of course just the engines themselves were a major contribution.
Outstanding documentary dude! Honestly better than the majority of the ones on tv these days, well done!
Keep up the amazing work and stay safe
Thank you! You too!
Honestly the best and most interesting history documentary I have seen, and I’ve spent a lot of my life on yeh yesterday channel. Good one Doug
I'm not super into aircrafts but after I watch this entire thing it seems really interesting now. So to me this shows that the entire documentary was successful 👏👏👏
I hope so! And I'm glad you enjoyed it!
You’re a credit to your craft. Professional.
Wonderful program.
"He was the first of the Few". OMG [bursts into tears] So true. Keep fighting.
Your commentry is great, all the way through, but that line really 'got' me and I HAD to pause and comment.
RJM, big hero since as young as I can remember.
Inspiration for my Designer career. 100%.
Reach for the sky. people. Never back down.